Delap Returns as Stamford Bridge Side Look to Address Striker Issues

Forward Liam Delap is recovering from a hamstring injury at a time of need for Chelsea.

The Blues lost 2-1 against shock contenders Sunderland at their stadium on recently, with head coach Enzo Maresca citing "insufficient imagination" and his team's delivery being "subpar".

Chelsea's strikers are having difficulty finding the net and assists as Delap returns in the EFL Cup against lowly Wolves on Wednesday (19:45 GMT), having missed 10 games since suffering the setback in the victory over Fulham in August.

Maresca commented the emerging talent will be phased in "gradually", and the recent acquisition's availability is crucial for a side facing scrutiny over their inconsistency, which has left the cup competitions their best opportunity of securing honors this campaign.

Delap to Share Load With Joao Pedro

Chelsea brought in Delap from the Tractor Boys for £30m despite pursuit by Manchester United, the Magpies and Everton.

Yet the Three Lions prospect was below expensive recruit Joao Pedro in the pecking order at this recent international tournament - and with good reason.

Joao Pedro registered a trio of strikes in three matches as Chelsea claimed the first edition in the America. The Brazilian forward scored another two and three assists in his first four Premier League games after moving from the Seagulls.

More lately, however, Joao Pedro has been goalless in his last seven games. Maresca revealed he is one of three players - along with engine room operators Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who at the moment demand to be "handled carefully".

When questioned about Joao Pedro's dip in form, Maresca remarked: "Definitely the conditioning element is vital. When you are not fully fit it's difficult to compete, especially in this competition."

"Joao Pedro is not a traditional striker that is going to reach twenty strikes annually. Joao's a excellent footballer, he's going to find the net and give assists but he's a distinctive forward to those who net 20 to 25 goals annually like the Polish striker, the PSG forward or the Norwegian goal machine."

Additional Concerns in Chelsea's Offense

Chelsea deal with broader problems apart from their strikers and Joao Pedro's goalless run.

Attacker Cole Palmer has played two full matches all season and is not expected return from a lower body issue until next month.

Attacking midfielder Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, signed from Borussia Dortmund for a fee rising to £52m, has no goals and one assist in ten appearances. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m acquisition from Manchester United, has one goal in seven outings and forced an own goal against Benfica.

Estevao Willian, eighteen, has impressed since arriving from Palmeiras for a potential £51 million deal, but has just two strikes and one setup - equaling youth product Tyrique George.

Attacker Marc Guiu and loan signing Facundo Buonanotte have a single strike apiece.

Marc Cucurella, who scored seven from full-back last season, is yet to find the net this term. Attacking player Pedro Neto has a single strike and two setups in his previous two fixtures, but before that found the net just once in the initial ten fixtures.

After thirteen fixtures in every tournament no attacker has over two strikes, with midfielders Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's equal leading marksmen with four.

Questioned whether a absence of prolific strikers means duties need distributing, Maresca commented: "Certainly, yes. We repeatedly stated that the quintet of attackers at the offense, we need multiple goals per player, in the manner we achieved last term."

Maresca has found ways to challenge despite goal-scoring variability. Chelsea are runner-up in dead-ball situations in the top flight, one less than Arsenal. In moreover, the Stamford Bridge side are the initial club to have 10 different scorers in the top flight this season.

Will Chelsea's Number Nine Curse Be Broken?

Some Chelsea fans feel the number nine shirt - assigned to Delap in the transfer window - is cursed. It had been vacant since recently, and footballers who wore it since the mid-2000s have had goal droughts, including:

• Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three goals in twenty-one matches
• Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - fifteen strikes in 58 games
• Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 goals in 82 games
• Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five goals in nineteen matches
• Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 goals in 72 games
• Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one score in 12 appearances
• Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): forty-five strikes in one hundred seventy-two matches
• Franco di Santo (2008-10) - failed to score in sixteen matches
• Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one score in twenty-five matches
• Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - zero strikes in 20 games

A midfielder and defensive specialist are part of this selection, and some would argue Abraham lifted the hoodoo with his performance, while legendary strikers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink thrived with nine on their back.

But Delap was unfazed when asked about the hoodoo. "I don't believe [who believes in curses]," he said at the Club World Cup.

"In the final analysis it's a digit on the shirt of your uniform. It's just a digit that has historically been connected to attackers so it's something that I like and there's no pressure."